On the Survivability and Detectability of Terrestrial Meteorites on the Moon

Crawford, Ian; Baldwin, E. C.; Taylor, Emma A.; Bailey, Jeremy; Tsembelis, K.

doi:10.1089/ast.2007.0215

Cited by 47 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Survivability of such projectile fragments to the Moon's surface may be possible at these collisional velocities and associated peak shock pressure regimes. However, preservation of impactor material will be facilitated further by relatively low (\4 km/s) impact velocities (Crawford et al 2008;Armstrong 2011), by oblique (\10 degrees) impact angles where material can be spalled off the projectile during impact (Pierazzo and Melosh 2000; Bland et al 2008;Svetsov and Shuvalov 2015;Schultz and Crawford 2016), and by incorporation of impactor material into central peaks formed during the crater formation process (Yue et al 2013). Recent laboratory experiments have also shown that the material properties, specifically porosity, of the impactor target material further helps to b Large FeNi metal assemblages found in a crystalline (plagioclase, pyroxene) impact melt breccia clast extracted from regolith breccia 60016.…”

Section: Asteroidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Identification and preservation of ejected planetary material (e.g., from the early Earth during the Hadean or Archean, or Noachian Mars) could answer outstanding questions related to the early geological, and possibly biological, evolution of the terrestrial planets (e.g. Armstrong et al 2002;Crawford et al 2008;Matthewman et al 2015).…”

Section: Impactors Derived From Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is hypothesised that the lunar surface may harbour material ejected from the Earth in impact events (Gutiérrez 2002;Armstrong et al 2002;Crawford et al 2008;Armstrong 2011;Burchell et al 2014b). For example, it is estimated that on average there is *1-2 ppm of terrestrial material at the lunar surface today, however, some areas of the surface may have higher concentrations (Armstrong 2011).…”

Section: Materials Derived From the Earth And Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, it is estimated that on average there is *1-2 ppm of terrestrial material at the lunar surface today, however, some areas of the surface may have higher concentrations (Armstrong 2011). As impact collision speeds from terrestrial material are relatively low (peaking at *3 km/s; Armstrong 2011), it has been demonstrated that terrestrial material may well survive peak shock pressures remaining intact after impact (Crawford et al 2008;Burchell et al 2014b). Such considerations imply the possibility that the lunar surface preserves material delivered from the Hadean or early Archean Earth, preserving key chemical and isotopic information about the early history of our planet and potentially even preserving remnants of fossil life (Burchell et al 2014b) and early biological processes (Matthewman et al 2015).…”

Section: Materials Derived From the Earth And Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Moon: An Archive of Small Body Migration in the Solar System

et al. 2016

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The Moon is an archive of impact cratering in the Solar System throughout the past 4.5 billion years. It preserves this record better than larger, more complex planets like the Earth, Mars and Venus, which have largely lost their ancient crusts through geological reprocessing and hydrospheric/atmospheric weathering. Identifying the parent bodies of impactors (i.e. asteroid bodies, comets from the Kuiper belt or the Oort Cloud) provides geochemical and chronological constraints for models of Solar System dynamics, helping to better inform our wider understanding of the evolution of the Solar System and the transfer of small bodies between planets. In this review article, we discuss the evidence for populations of impactors delivered to the Moon at different times in the past. We also propose approaches to the identification and characterisation of meteoritic material on the Moon in the context of future lunar exploration efforts.

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Section: Asteroidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Impactors Derived From Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Materials Derived From the Earth And Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Materials Derived From the Earth And Other Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Moon: An Archive of Small Body Migration in the Solar System

et al. 2016

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“…The Moon may provide us with this archive (Armstrong et al, 2002;Crawford et al, 2008;Joy et al, 2012;Burchell et al, 2014b). Major surface volcanic activity on the Moon ceased around 3.1 Ga (Wilhelms et al, 1987).…”

Section: Organic Records In the Solar Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Moon as a Recorder of Organic Evolution in the Early Solar System: A Lunar Regolith Analog Study

et al. 2015

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The organic record of Earth older than *3.8 Ga has been effectively erased. Some insight is provided to us by meteorites as well as remote and direct observations of asteroids and comets left over from the formation of the Solar System. These primitive objects provide a record of early chemical evolution and a sample of material that has been delivered to Earth's surface throughout the past 4.5 billion years. Yet an effective chronicle of organic evolution on all Solar System objects, including that on planetary surfaces, is more difficult to find. Fortunately, early Earth would not have been the only recipient of organic matter-containing objects in the early Solar System. For example, a recently proposed model suggests the possibility that volatiles, including organic material, remain archived in buried paleoregolith deposits intercalated with lava flows on the Moon. Where asteroids and comets allow the study of processes before planet formation, the lunar record could extend that chronicle to early biological evolution on the planets. In this study, we use selected free and polymeric organic materials to assess the hypothesis that organic matter can survive the effects of heating in the lunar regolith by overlying lava flows. Results indicate that the presence of lunar regolith simulant appears to promote polymerization and, therefore, preservation of organic matter. Once polymerized, the mineral-hosted newly formed organic network is relatively protected from further thermal degradation. Our findings reveal the thermal conditions under which preservation of organic matter on the Moon is viable.

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The Moon as a Recorder of NearbySupernovae

Crawford¹

2016

Handbook of Supernovae

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The lunar geological record is expected to contain a rich record of the Solar System's galactic environment, including records of nearby (i.e. ≤ a few tens of parsecs) supernova explosions. This record will be composed of two principal components: (i) cosmogenic nuclei produced within, as well as radiation damage to, surface materials caused by increases in the galactic cosmic ray flux resulting from nearby supernovae; and (ii) the direct collection of supernova ejecta, likely enriched in a range of unusual and diagnostic isotopes, on the lunar surface. Both aspects of this potentially very valuable astrophysical archive will be best preserved in currently buried, but nevertheless near-surface, layers that were directly exposed to the space environment at known times in the past and for known durations. Suitable geological formations certainly exist on the Moon, but accessing them will require a greatly expanded programme of lunar exploration.

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On the Survivability and Detectability of Terrestrial Meteorites on the Moon

Abstract: ABSTRACT

Cited by 47 publications

References 31 publications

The Moon: An Archive of Small Body Migration in the Solar System

The Moon: An Archive of Small Body Migration in the Solar System

The Moon as a Recorder of Organic Evolution in the Early Solar System: A Lunar Regolith Analog Study

The Moon as a Recorder of NearbySupernovae

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